Pianoforte



Jan. 19 1926. 1,570,513

E, MAXTED-MASSEY PIANOFORTE Filed Nov. 8, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 cgf @ya f@ *n if Jan. 19 1926.

E. MAXTED-MASSEY PIANOFORTE Filed Nov. 8; 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 1,570,513 E. MAXTED-MASSEY PIANOFORTE Filed' Nov. 8, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet :5

Patented Jan. 19, 192.6.

UNTE@ STATEEQ EDGAR MAXTED-MASSEY, 0F SOUTH ASHFORD, ENGLAND.

PIANOFORTE.

Application filed November To all whom t 12mg/ concer/n.'

Re it known that l, Encan MAr'rnwMAsn snr, subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 2 Banks Road, South sl'iford, Kent, England, have invented a new and useful Pianoforte, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved Construction and arrangement of musical instrument of the pianoforte type.

The object of this invention uis to provide a cheap, simple and compact musical instrument of the pianoforte type which can be readily carried from place to place. A further object is to enable the instrument to be readily played by any intelligent person without the necessity for the laborious training vwhich is usual when learning to play the piano. This instrument is so arranged that ordinary tunes may be easily played from ear and accompaniments produced by ramping by persons who have had no actual musical training. It will thus be vseen that this instrument opens up a wide field for persons who are desirous of being able to produce musical accompaniments or other tunes for concerts or the like but who are not sufficiently skilled to perform upon the regulation piano. This instrument will 1"so he. Very much cheaper than the ordinary piano and owing to the fact that itmay be 'readily carried from place to place by hand, itwill readily adapt itself for use at concerte, parties,koutings and other purposes.

According to this invention, my musical instrument of the pianoforte type comprises a Central frame member or board mounted in a suitable casing and provided with strings stretched upon bothsides and so arranged that'the tension of the strings upon 'the two sides of the frame will tend to balance each other. Upon each side of the 'frame is provided a sounding board having a bridge over which the strings are stretched and with which they engage. The two sounding boards preferably comprise a pair of boards secured together at one end with a suitable distance between them and fixed to the frame at one end but left free at the other end, thus somewhat resembling and acting in the manner of a tuning fork. At the upper end of the instrument is provided a keyboard and a series of pivoted keys adapted to actuate hammers to strike the various strings. A set of strikers are provided in. Lthe front of the instrument ar 8, 19%4. Serial No. '748,656.-

ranged so that each will strike a series of notes simultaneously so as to sound conven ient chords, thus facilitating the easy production of tunes and accompaniments by unskilled players. lf desired, the notes upon the upper keyboard and the strikers for sounding the chords may be correspondingly coloured or otherwise marked so as to indicate to the novice what chords may be struck in coi'nbination with notes struck upon the upper keyboard in correct harmony. The air will then be played upon the upper keyboard whilst the strikers in the front will sound suitable chords equivalent to the playing in the bass and so increase the volume of sound produced.

ln order that my invention may be readily understood, reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the outside of the casing of a portable musical instrument constructed according to my invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same with the front of the casing removed.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the same with the back of the casing removed.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional elevation.

Fig. 5 is a plan looking down upon the upper keyboard.

Fig. 6 is a detail showing one of the strikers for sounding a chord, and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a suitable damper adapted to be actuated by foot.

Referring to the drawings, the musical instrument comprises an outer casing 1, in which is arranged a central frame member Q extending across the same from side to side. This frame 2 comprises a suitable board secured by its edges to the sides 3 of the casing and also to the base l thereof at its lower end where it is also stiifened by transverse strips 5 arranged one on each side thereof. In these transverse strips 5 are provided a series of rest pins G arranged in diagonal formation as indicated in Figs. ."2 and 3, To these rest pins 6 are connected the strings 7 which extend round the upper end of the frame Q which is rounded and provided with a metal or other plate S over which the strings pass. On each side of thc frame 2 is arranged a sounding board 9 supported at their lower ends bythe frame 2 just above the transverse strips 5. Each sounding board comprises a pair of flat wood or other boards l0, Between their lower ends is arranged a distance piece 11 and a second distance piece 12 is placed between the two boards and the frame 2 to which they are suitably secured at their lower end as shown in Fig. 4. The two boards 10 are thus quite free at their upper end and separated by a suitable distance so that they are free to vibrate substantially in the manner of a tuning fork. A; suitable bridge 13 is provided on the outermost board 10 of each sound board upon kwhich the strings 7 rest and further bridges 14 are provided near the upper end of the frame 2 so as to hold the strings 7 clearof the upper ends of each sound board 9. The two sound boards 9 are shown in Fig. 4 connected together by a wooden pin 15 passing through an aperture in the` frame 2.

At the upper end ofthe casing 1 is provided a keyboard 16 shown more particularly in Fig.' 5. In this'keyboard isarra'nged a double row of keys 17 piv'otedr at their outer ends to bars' 18 secured to' the casing. The keys 17 rest upon the projecting ends 19 of hammers 2O which" are pi'v'otedV to bars 21 lixed upon a central transverse strip 22. The hammers 2O are normally held away from the stringsV 7 by springs 23. which pull them back against stops 24'. lVhen any one of the keys 17 is struck, it' will cause the hammer to turn sharply about its pivot against the action ofthe spring 23'so that the lower end of the hammer will move sharplyv towards its string' 7. The key 17 i is so arranged that before the hammer actually hits the' string 7 the keywill come into Contact with the bar 21 to which the hammer is pivoted. The. hammer will however, continue to move under the momentum imparted to it by the movement of the key until it strikes a sharp blowr upon the string immediately rebounding therefrom so as to ensure a clear note. Directly the key 17 is released, the hammer 20 will be drawn back by its spring ready forfurther operation. Suitable felt or other pads may be provided upon the bars 21 beneath the keys 17 and upon the stops 24 so as to ensure quietness in' action. The projections 19 at the top of the hammers 20 and the lower ends' of these hammers may be covered with leather orV other suitable material.

1n the f'ro`nt25y of' the outer casing 1 is provided a door 26 which when opened gives access to a series of str`ikers27 arranged one above the other. These" strikers 27 (Figs. 4 and 6) are adapted to strike chords upon the strings 7 located in' the front o'f the' framev 2,. Each striker 27 is' arranged to lsound a. different chord by operating on a different combination of strings 7. As' an e'Xa'n'iple, one of the strikers is shown in detail in Fig. 6 and comprises a bar 28 secured to a transverse rod 29 adaptedv to' turn about pivots' 3() at each end in blocks 31 secured to the sides 3 of the casing. Upon the bar 28 are a series of projections 32 adapted to strike against the strings 7. In Fig. 6 three such projections 32 are shown and each projection is arranged to strike against one of the. strings 7 so as to produce a three-note chord. Each bar 28 is provided with a knob 33 by which it may be operated and is connected by a spring 34 to the side of the casing. To strike a chord, one of the knobs 33 lifted so as to extend its spring 34 and when it is released the spring will cause the bar 28 to turn sharply about the pivots 30 at the end of the transverse rod 29 and the momentum thus imparted to the bar 28 will cause the. projections 32 to strike against the strings and sound the required chord. The spring 34 is arranged in such a position that it normally holds the projections 32 slightly away from the strings so that the strikers will extend the spring 34 under the momentum before the projections 32 actually contact with the strings 7. The springs 34 thus serve the double purpose of impellingi the strikers against the strings and of drawing them back after the chord has been struck. l

As it is desired to keep the apparatus as simple as possible, no automatic dampingl action is shown in the drawings, although any convenient arrangement for this purpose may be employed if desired on more elaborate instruments. Foot control dampers are however shown. These comprise pivoted damper plates 35 and 36 arranged to be pressed against the front and rear strings 7 respectively. These damper plates 35 and 36 are mounted on transverse bars 37 pivoted inthe sides of the casing and are provided with felt or other suitable pads 38 adapted to be pressed against the strings 7. Suitable connecting links 39 and 40 connect the plates 35 and 36 to a pedal 41 comprising a strip of metal bent to U-shape and pivoted at its two ends 42 to a block 43 secured in the base of the casing. Springs 44 tend to lift the pedal 41 and so hold the pads 38 on the damper plates 35 and 36 away from the strings 7 under normal conditions. Then however the pedal 41 is depressed by the foot, the pads 38 on the damper plates 35 and 36 will be pressed against the strings 7 so as to damp their action.

The keys 17 and the knobs 33 of the strikers 27y for the chords may be made of co1- re'sponding colours to indicate which chord striker may harmoniously be operated in combination with any particular key 17. lit desired however, suitable indications either by letter, name', colour or the like may he placed upon the bar 45 between the two sets of keys 18 and against each individual key to indicate which ofthe chord strikers 27 may be employed 'harmoniously in conjunction with ea'c'hof the keys 17. The object'iol' this is to enable unskilled players to play the simple air upon the leys 1T and to strike suitable chords in the bass which `will harmonize with the notes in the air without any special musica-l ability, thus producing a tune of suitable volume.

With an improved musical instrument constructed according to my invention, it is possible to produce a cheap and compact instrument which can be readily carried in the hand from place to place and upon which comparatively unskilled players may readily produce tuneful music without the need for much practice or instruction. The construction of the instrument is such that the resulting 'tone is equal to that of a good class piano. Owing to the arrangement of the strii upon opposite sides of the frame the tension therein tend to balance each other, thus relieving` the frame of bending or warping stresses. rlhe construction and arrangement of these strings upon the frame and the mounting of the sound boards in the manner described may be if desired applied to the construction of pianofortes of the usual well known type and will result in a considerable improvement in tone.

l claim l. In an instrument of the pianoforte type, a frame, a soundbeard consisting of a pair of boards having fined ends secured together and to said frame and having free ends opposite their lined ends, and strings stretched on lsaid frame and over 'said soundboard.

2. A musical instrument of the pianoforte coi'iiiprising a central frame with strings arranged on both sides thereof, a sound board .mounted on each side of said frame and between it and the strings, each sound board con'iprising a pair of boards which at one rnd are connected together and to the said frame, their other ends being free so that they can operate substantially in the manner of a tuning fork.

S. A musical instrument of the pianoforte type comprising a frame with strings arranged on both sides thereof, sound boards mounted upon this frame and each comprising;l a pair of boards having lined ends and free ends opposite 'said fixed ends each sound board having mounted upon its outermost board a transverse bridge located adjacent the closed end of each sound hoard and through which the vibrations of the strings are conni'iunicated to the sound boards.

t. musical instrument of the pianoforte tl pe comprising a central frame with strings arranged on both sides thereof, a pair of sound boards each of which comprises a pair of boards secured together at. one end with a suitable distance piece between them and also connected at this end to the frame and free at their other end so that they will resemble and operate substantially in the manner of a tuning fork, a transverse bridge upon the outermost board of each sound board located near the closed end thereof and through which the vibrations of the strings are communicated to the sound boards.

5. A musical instrument of the pianoforte type comprising a central frame with strings arranged upon both sides thereof, sound boards mounted upon the frame and carrying bridges over which the strings pass each of said sound boards consisting of a pair of boards having free ends and suitable hammers adapted to strike the strings when actuated by the player, transverse reinforcing strips provided at the lower and upper edges of the frame in the lowern'iost of which are provided a series of rest pins to which the ends of the strings are secured.

G. A musical instrument of the pianoforte type comprising a central frame with strings arranged on both 'sides thereof, a sound board mounted on each side of said frame and between it and the strings, each sound board comprising a pair of boards which at one end are connected together anl to the said frame, their other ends being free so that they can operate substantially in thn manner of a tuning fork, trans verse reinforcing strips at the lower and upper edges of the frame in the lowerinost of which are provided a series of rest pins to which the ends of the strings are secured, these strings passing in a loop over the npper end of the frame which is provided with a metal or other 'sheath against which the strings bear.

7, fr musical instrument of the pianoforte type comprising a frame with strings arranged on both sides thereof, and a pair of sound boards arranged in the manner of a tuning forli, such frame and boards being mounted in a casing provided with a series of keys at its upper end and adapted to actuate hammers to strike the strings, a transverse bridge associated with each sound board and located near the closed eno thereof, transverse reinforcing strips at the lower and upper edges of the frame, a series of rest pins in the lowern'iost of said strips 'to secure the ends of the strings to such strings passing in a loop over thc upper end of the frame which is provided with a metal or other sheath against which the strings bear and abridge upon each side of the upper end of the frame against which the ends of the strings engage.

S. A musical instrument of the pianoforte type comprising a central frame with strings arranged upon both sides thereof, sound boards mounted upon the frame and ing bridges over which the strings pass and suitable nannners adapted to strike the strings when actuated by the player, the frame and the strings and the sound boards being mounted in a casing provided with a series of keys at its upper end and adapted to actuate hammers to strike the strings upon both sides of the frame, strikersbeing mounted in front of the casing and each being provided with a series of projections or hammers adapted to strike two or more notes at one operation so that each striker will sound a suitable chord.

9. A musical instrument of the pianoforte type comprising a central frame with strings arranged on both sides thereof, a sound board mounted on each side of said frame and between it and the strings, each sound board comprising a pair of boards which at one end are connected together and to the said frame, their other ends being free so that they can operate substantially in the manner of a tuning fork, the frame and the stringsbeing mounted in a easing provided with a series of keys adapted to actuato hammers to strike the strings.

10. A musical instrument of the pianoforte type comprising a central frame with strings arranged on both sides thereof, a sound board mounted on each side of said frame and between it and the strings, each sound boa-rd comprising a pair of boards which at one end are connected together and to the said frame, their other ends being free. so that they can operate substantially in the manner of' a tuning fork, the frame and the strings being mounted in a casing provided with a series of keys adapted to actuate hammers to strike the strings, the keys being arranged in the upper portion of the casing in two rows so as to form a double keyboard, one row of keys actuating hammers operated upon the strings on one side of the frame, whilst the other row of keys actu-ate hammers operating upon the strings on the other side of the frame.

ll. A musical instrument of the pianoforte type comprising a central frame with strings arranged upon both sidesthereof, sound boards mounted upon the frame and carrying bridges over which the strings pass and suitable hammers adapted to strike the strings when actuated by the player, the

fra-me and the strings and the sound boards being mounted in acasing provided with a series of keys at its upper end and adapted to actuate hammers to strike the strings upon both sides of the frame, such strikers being mounted in front of the casing and each being provided with a series of projections or hammers adapted to strike two or more notes at one operation so that each striker will sound a suitable chord, a transverse bar for the strikers, pivoted in the sides of the casingl and provided with two or more projections or hammers adapted to'strike those strings which willproduce the required combination of notes, each barbeing provided 'with a handle by which it may be lifted against the action of a spring which spring will operate to impel the projections or hammers on the strikers against the strings to be struck and will also act to draw back the hammer after the chord has been sounded.

12. A musical instrument of the pianoforte typ@ comprising a central frame with strings arranged on both sides thereof, a sound board mounted on each side of said frame and between it and the strings, each sound board comprising a pair of boards which at one end are connected together and to the said frame, their other ends being free so that they can operate substantially in the manner of a tuning fork, the frame and the strings being mounted in a casing provided with a series of keys adapted to acuate hammers to strike the strings, the keys being arranged in the upper portion of the casing in two rows so as to form a double keyboard, one row of keys actuating hammers operated upon the strings on one side of the frame, whilst the other row of keys actuate hammers operating upon the strings on the other side of the frame, damper plates being provided adapted to be pressed against the strings on opposite sides of the frame by means of a pedal adapted to be actuated by the players foot, a suitable spring or springs being arranged to normally hold the damper plates out of engagement with the strings.

EDGAR MAXTED-MASSEY. 

